Tracking BTC Users in the Future. Ideas re Anonymity?

[OROBTC]

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I have read a few pieces, here and elsewhere, that suggest that blockchain tracking tools (analytical tools) are getting better and better.  Even TOR trx may be vulnerable.  Even mixing services may be vulnerable.

.gov would certainly be interested in such tools to rob us of relative privacy, as would the plagues of scammers.


What effective defenses ought we consider?



(Perhaps one idea would be buying moar BTC now and let them sit in the cold would become a higher priority?)

(Mixing BTC through TWO different service?)

[pooya87]

• buy bitcoin with cash, simple and it eliminates any chance of being tracked!
• buy an altcoin that has anonymous transactions like monero, make a transaction and then sell it for bitcoin.

the higher priority thing you said doesn't make much sense to me. can you explain how more confirmation increases anonymity?

- there is another way to get 99.9% clean coins which is a bit weird: pay a miner to mine bitcoin to your bitcoin address, that way you get coinbase bitcoin which is clean
and it doesn't have to be the whole reward (12.5+BTC) it can be smaller amount like this with two outputs:
https://blockchain.info/tx/ef6a8790c25d807bfd8c862e907536f842585007a42a18f2870f2b9a9f6bb2f8

[Kakmakr]

Your argument have two sides :

1. If Bitcoin becomes 100% anonymous, it will get banned in most countries. Not even cash is 100% anonymous. The government and the consumer should have a option to track money, if it has been used in illegal transactions. Examples : terrorism / theft / extortion / Money laundering etc.

2. Bitcoin should have enough anonymity to also protect the financial data of individuals from the average criminal on the street. < Your financial status will make you a target, if this data is linked to you and if it is public knowledge >

This is why we use mixer services. The average person will not be able to link the bitcoins to you, but the government can use the courts to obtain that information. ^smile^

[Xester]

If government will uphold transparency of transactions in bitcoin I will not disagree since there are too many hackers and scammers that are  victimizing newbie users as well as veteran users of bitcoin. If we cannot stop this hackers then our hard earned bitcoin will go to waste. And another thing I agree that if bitcoin enjoys to much secrecy such that illicit activities become so rampant then the government will possibly ban bitcoins to stop the illegal activities.